Apparatus for cleaning materials



April 14, 1959 H. H. LEARY APPARATUS FOR CLEANING MATERIALS Filed April19, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' ATTOIPNEY April 14, 1959 H. H. LEARYAPPARATUS FOR CLEANING MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 19. 1956 wR v 0!- N T v I mfl M t w mm W 1% m M V- 0 B N w my, .om 0. M v I l I II"I" Rh 4 4 0 0 4 004000000% 4 'll I i i .r in .i .vnunh 00M0N0 n n 0 0 00 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 $300000. W 000000000 0000000000000 0000000 000 000 0 .000 m a n 0. 000 00 000 000 000 00000 00. 020 000 .000000 000 I: 0 000 000 000000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 00000 0 0 00000000 .0 00 00000 0. 0 0 0 0000000 0 .0 0. 0 00N0H0M0M0 0 0w0w040w000 0 ll 0 0000 l lnflnn hhrli 0 0 0.. 00000 000000000 3 0.0000 .0000000000M0 "0 w 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0u 0 .0 0. v 0 0 00 0 0 .0. 0 00000 0 0-00 0 0 0 a 0 0 000000000000 00. 00. 0 0 0 0 0 0 N0 0 0 n 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0... 000000 0 0000 0 .0000 00000" 0 O Q 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0000 0000 nmN a u 00 0 00 e. 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 0 00 0. 0 0 0.0

United States Patent Q APPARATUS FOR CLEANING MATERIALS Harold H. Leary,Rochester, N.Y.

Application April 19, 1956, Serial No. 579,181

10 Claims. c1. 68-158) My invention relates to an apparatus for thecontinuous cleaning of garments, bedding, and other textile articlesusually washed or dry cleaned. Although the apparatus herein disclosedis described with reference to the dry cleaning industry, the novelapparatus would also be applicable to the general laundering of wearingapparel, dyeing of materials and other analogous operations.

An object of my invention is to provide an apparatus for continuous drycleaning materials as distinguished from batch cleaning, such asclothing, bedding and the like, wherein the materials are conveyedthrough a bath of cleaning solution in which the solvent is forcedthrough the materials in a direction substanttially perpendicular to themovement of the materials in the bath.

A further object of my invention is to provide an apparatus forcontinuous dry cleaning wherein the cleansing action is produced byreciprocating the materials to be cleaned in a substantially verticaldirection in a bath of cleaning solution, while the materials are beingconveyed in an essentially horizontal direction through the bath.

Another object of my invention is to provide'an apparatus, of the typedescribed, wherein the cleaning solution is caused to flow in adirection countercurrent to'the direction of movement of the materialsto be cleaned.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an apparatus of thetype described, wherein a pair of reciproeating conveyor systems areemployed, one superimposed above theother in a bath of cleaning fluidtogether with means for driving the conveyors in a manner such as totransport the materials to be cleaned therebetween continuously from amaterials entrance to a materials discharge.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be set forth in theclaims and will be apparent from the following description when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in. which:

Fig. l is a side view of the apparatus of my invention showing the tankunit in section in order to more clearly illustrate the more importantparts of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown with some of the partsthereof removed for purposes of clarity; and

Fig. 3 is an end section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig.2.

The cleaning apparatus constituting my invention comprises a preferablyopen tank 4, on which is mounted a platform 5 by means of supportingmembers 6 'and 7 secured in any suitable manner to the sides of thetank. The platform 5 supports a suitable framewmk such as may consist ofmembers 8 and 9, which are arranged so as to support the bearings of apair of rotatable shafts 10 and 12. The shafts 10 and 12 are disposed ina parallel relationship with respect to each other and are spaced awayfrom the platform 5. A motor unit 13 is secured to the platform 5 anddrives the shafts 10 and 12 by suitable means which may be chains andsprockets.

A wheel or eccentric disc 14 is secured to'each end of ice each ofshafts 10 and 12 and each disc has a rod 15 eccentrically and pivotallyattached thereto. A framework, generally designated as 17, is carried bythe rods 15 for the purpose of supporting an upper and a lower conveyor,generally designated as 18 and 19, respectively.

The framework 17 may include a pair of longitudinal members 20 which aredisposed in horizontal, parallel, spaced relation. The'members 20 arepivotally secured to the transversely lower ends fo the rods 15.Transverse member 22 connects the ends of the members 20. To each of thefour ends of members 20 is rigidly secured the upper end of a verticalrod 23. A pair of lower conveyor supporting bars 24 are rigidly securedto the lower ends of the vertical rods 23. The bars 24 support a pair oflower rollers or transversally elongated pulleys 25 by means of suitablebearings 26. The rollers 25 drive the lower conveyor 19. I

The upper conveyor 18 is supported by means of a pair of yokes 27 (Fig.3), each of which is suspended from one of the transverse members 22 bymeans of a threaded rod 28. The threaded rod 28 is operatively connectedto a suitable gear unit diagrammatically shown at 29, equipped with ahandle 33. The gear unit 29 is operatively connected by means of alongitudinally extending rod 34 to a similar gear unit 35 locatedopposite therefrom. The gear unit 35, of course, functionsto operate athreaded rod (not shown) similar to the rod 28.

The yokes 27 are secured at their lower ends to a transversely spacedlongitudinally extending pair of upper conveyor supporting bars 36. Thebars 36 are preferably attached to sleeves 37 which are slideable on thevertical rods 23. A pair of upper rollers 38 or transversely elongatedpulleys are supported at the ends of the rods 36 in a manner similar tothe mounting of the lower rollers 25.

Conveyor belts 39 and .40 are respectively mounted upon and driven bythe rollers 38 and 25. The conveyor belts are preferably made ofrelatively large mesh. wire, as shown, so that cleaning fluid may freelypass therethrough while the textile materials being cleanedare'retained. A pair of plates 41 extend longitudinally ofthe conveyors,one on each side thereof. The plates encompass both conveyors for thepurpose of confining the materials within the conveyor system.

A motor unit 43 (Fig. 1) and a gear assembly 44 are carried by atransverse member 22 in a conventional manner and are attached indriving relation to a rotating shaft 45 which, through suitable gearing,drives rollers 38 and 25. v

A pair of links 48 on opposite sides of the lower roller 25 arepivotally connected to the lower conveyor 19 at any convenient location,such as to the axis or shaft of the lower right hand roller 25 (asviewed in Fig. 1'); The links 48 support the lower ends of transverselyspaced bars 49. The upper ends of the bars 49 are suitably supported bylinks 50 pivoted to the bars and pivoted to a platform 51. A pair ofrollers or transversely elongated pulleys 53 are rotatably mounted onbushings 52 carried by the bars 49, and are driven by means of asuitable motor and sprocket and chain unit, generally indicated by thenumeral 54. An open mesh Wire conveyor belt 55 is mounted on and drivenby the rollers 53.

The tank 4 supports in any suitable manner a feed plate 56, the lowerconveyor extending to the left (Fig. 1) beyond the upper conveyor toreceive the materials. A discharge plate 57, supported in any suitablemanner, receives materials discharged by the conveyor 55., The tank 4 isfurther provided with a recirculation system consisting of a duct 58 anda pump unit diagrammatically illustrated at 59. I

In operation, materials to be cleaned are fed into the system on theplate or discharge chute 56, which directs the materials onto themoveable conveyor belt 40. The rollers 38 and 25, which are driven bythe motor unit 43, function to move the lower run of the upper belt 39and upper run of the lower belt 40 to the right (Fig. 1). The materialsto be cleaned are transported between'these runs of the belts. The motorunit 13 drives the shafts and 12 which, by means of the eccentrics 14and eccentric rods 15, reciprocate the frame 17. Vertical reciprocationof the frame 17, of course, also reciprocates the materials which arelocated between the runs of belts 39 and 40 above described.

The reciprocation of the conveyors 18 and 19 causes the cleaningsolution to be forced back and forth through the materials as they arebeing conveyed in a horizontal direction from left to right (Fig. 1).The materials drop from between the sense and 40 on to the moveable belt55 and from there are discharged onto the plate 57. It is desirable thatthe space between the active runs of the conveyors be reasonably full ofclothes, without undue packing, so that they do not float in the spacebut instead the conveyors, as they reciprocate, act as means foractively urging the materials to be cleaned through the cleaning fluidor vise vers'a.

The distance between the conveyors 18 and 19 may be adjusted by means oflowering or raising the yokes 27. The latter may be vertically adjustedby rotating the handle 33, which functions through the medium ofsuitable gear arrangements 29 and 35 to operate the threadedrods 28. Avertical movement of the yokes 27 causes the vertical movement of theupper conveyor supporting rods 36 which support the rollers 38. Theconveyors can thus be adjusted to accommodate the bulk of the materialsbeing cleaned. For example, heavy blankets would require a wide spacingof the conveyors. For any particular loading of the conveyors there isan optimum spacing of the conveyors to avoid floating of the materialsand avoid matting or blocking the free flow of the materials under theurging of the conveyors.

It is therefore seen that as the materials to be cleaned are movedhorizontally, they are reciprocated in a substantially verticaldirection. Thus, the cleaning action is produced by causing the cleaningfluid to travel through the materials not only in a horizontaldirection, but also in alternate vertical directions. The cleaning fluidwhich may be any conventional fluid ordinarily used in cleaning textilematerials, is injected into the tank at the materials discharge endthereof and is caused to flow in a direction opposite to the movement ofthe materials. Thus, a greater relative movement between the materialsand the cleaning fluid is produced.

It will be particularly noted that the pivot connection of the bar 49with respect to the roller 25 coupled with the pivot link 50 enables theconveyor to follow the reciprocations of the conveyors 18 and 19 so thatthe conveyor 55 is always in the proper. position for receiving cleanedclothes.

It is obvious that the motor units 13, 43 and 54 are preferably all ofthe variable speed type so as to regulate the time required for thecleaning operation, which is dependent upon the character of thematerials to be cleaned and the character of the cleaning fluid used.

While I have shown and described the preferred apparatus of myinvention, it will be apparent that various changes and modificationsmay be made therein, particularly in the form and relation of parts,without departingv from the spirit of my invention as set forth in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for cleaning clothes comprising, in combination, a tank forcontaining a cleaning fluid, a support above the tank, driving meanscarried by said support including a plurality of depending drivenmembers, a motor for operating said driving means, a frame carried bysaid depending driven members, an open mesh lower con,- veyor of theendless type and an open mesh upper conveyor of the endless type, theupper run of the lower conveyor and the lower run of the upper conveyorbeing spaced a substantial distance from each to accommodate clothes tobe cleaned between them, means including spaced pulleys for supportingsaid conveyors, means for supporting said pulleys from said frame, andmeans for driving one pulley of each of said conveyors, both of saidconveyors being reciprocated through said frame and depending drivenmembers upward and downward through the cleaning fluid upon actuation ofsaid driven members to force cleaning fluid through the clothes to becleaned.

2. Apparatus for cleaning clothes in accordance with claim 1 in whichsaid open mesh conveyors are unsupported substantially throughout theirextent except by said pulleys so that said runs may flex away from eachother should the feed of the clothes be uneven and they should tend tobunch on the conveyors.

3. Apparatus for cleaning clothes in accordance with claim 1 in whichmeans are provided for varying the distance between said runs of theconveyors to accommodate bulky or light clothes.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which the supporting meansfor said conveyors includes a plurality of depending rods, one of saidconveyors being fixed with respect to said rods and the other of saidconveyors being movable with respect thereto.

5. Apparatus for cleaning clothes in accordance with claim 1 in whichsaid open mesh conveyors are unsupported substantially throughout theirextent except by said pulleys so that said runs may flex away from eachother should the feed of the clothes be uneven and they should tend to.bunch on the conveyors and in which means are provided for varying thedistance between said runs of the conveyors to accommodate bulky orlight clothes.

6. Apparatus for cleaning clothes in accordance with claim 1 in whichside plates are provided encompassing the longitudinal and verticalextent of sad conveyors to maintain the clothes being cleaned on theconveyors.

7. Apparatus for cleaning clothes comprising, in combination, a tank forcontaining a cleaning fluid, a pair of open mesh conveyors of theendless type operable iti said tank, means including pulleys forsupporting and driving said conveyors, means for reciprocating saidconveyors in an upward and downward direction so that cleaning fluid isforced through the clothes, the runs of the conveyors between which theclothes pass being spaced apart a distance such that said runs bothengage the clothes so that the clothes do not float between said runsand said runs of the conveyors being substantially unsupportedthroughout ther length except by said pulleys so that said runs may flexaway fromeach other should the feed of the clothes be uneven and theyshould tend to bunch on the conveyors.

8. Apparatus for cleaning clothes in accordance with claim 7 in whichmeans are provided for varying the distance between said runs of theconveyors to accommodate bulky or light clothes.

9. Apparatus for cleaning clothes inaccordance with claim 7 in which aconveyor is provided for receiving the clothes discharged from betweensaid runs, said conveyor being located so that a major partthereof isinthe tank, saidconveyor being inclined upwardly so that the cleaningfluid drainsback into the tank.

10. Apparatus for cleaning clothes in accordance with claim 7 in which aconveyor is provided for receiving the clothes discharged from betweensaid runsgsaid conveyor having its lower end 'pivotally connected to thelower of said pair of conveyors and its upper end pivotally supported sothat said conveyor may reciprocate with said pair of conveyors.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6Clarenbach Aug. 31, 1920 Sargent Apr. 16, 1929 Dyer Mar. 28, 1944 PinkNov. 29, 1949 Spooner Nov. 29, 1955 Chambers Apr. 24, 1956 FOREIGNPATENTS Germany Sept. 22, 1952

